It's official...we are half way through the matric ball season here in the Cape. With most schools starting their event as early as April and ending in December for some schools, preparations are under way to find THE dress. On the blog today I will be sharing Ashleigh's ...get ready with me Matric dance styling.

Ashleigh chose all her own fabrics. she chose to go with satin, chiffon and a matching lace in varying shades  of Champagne.
The styling is a two piece floor length gown. Spaghetti straps on a sweetheart bodice with a satin underdress. The skirt detail is chiffon with an overlay of lace.
A lace bolero completes the two piece set, perfect for the cooler evening in Durbanville where the event is held in an outdoors setting.

And they are on their way......

if you are planning your Matric ball gown for your upcoming event, give us a call and we will gladly assist.

Lots of love
Karen

I have been wanting to share this lovely post for a while now and finally I'm doing it.
There is nothing more special in my books, than a husband surprising his wife with a special gift. A trip to Paris the city of love. and that's exactly what Thabiet had planned for the love of his life, Tasneem. I received an email from him requesting a custom made gown for Tasneem.
His plan....a trip to Paris to celebrate a special event and to surprise her with a photo shoot by non other than the talented........Paris Photographer Pierre Torset

Meeting these two special people on our first appointment left me with no doubt as to how much love they shared and that  this dress was going to be special.

Tasneem chose her fabrics... Italian silk chiffon and satin in the shades of gold and nude, as well as the lace.

The style is an empireline , slightly gathered under the bust with a satin underdress. an overlay of silk chiffon and that beautiful lace detail on the bodice.

The long sleeve detail, perfect for the January winter in Paris.

Below are some more pics of their photo shoot. I hope that you enjoy it as much as I have.

Thank you for taking the time to read my post.

Lots of love
Karen

Photo shoot on location in Paris

Photo credits:
Instagram paris_photographer
  www.paris-photographer.net
Paris Photographer Pierre Torset

The school year is nearly 3/4 way through and many students find themselves now in the 3rd term. For most of our Matriculant's this signals an event that many anticipate more than writing their Matric finals.....and that is the Matric Ball. If your event is scheduled for later this year (some in September and then also December) then I would love to share our photo shoot with you.

We have the beautiful Sasha ( who has long since sat in the Matric benches) model on this shoot for us.  

Our shoot takes place on the dunes in Hout Bay, Cape Town.

Sasha is wearing one of our classic designs on this shoot, which we custom make, varying the design detail as per the client specifications.

DETAIL:
A strapless sweetheart gown with skirt to floor length. This design consist of a satin underdress with a chiffon bodice and skirt overlay. The bodice is softly pleated and the skirt is cut on the bias giving it a slim look in the waist and that magical wide flare at the hem. 

We chose to go with this Cobalt Blue colour, a perfect contrast for the very overcast grey skies we were experiencing in Cape Town that morning.

Pearl accessories by Gurliepurlie and hair and make-up by Nafeesah Kherekar..

Our photo shoot collaboration team:

Location: Hout Bay, Cape Town
Photographer: Radzphotography_cpt
Hair and make-up: Nafeesahkmua
Jewellery: Gurliepurlie
Evening Gown: Mcouture

Lots of Love
Karen

Late spring can be very unpredictable here in Cape Town. So on one very wet morning in November, we are on our way to Hout Bay for our photo shoot collaborationon on the dunes. On our way driving there it's raining cats and dogs and all indications are that we may just have to cancel.....and yes you guessed it ....in typical Cape weather fashion ( four seasons in one day) it all clears and 30 minutes later it's a perfect,sunny spring day. 
 

Its overcast, but perfect conditions for our photo shoot

Sasha is wearing a strapless sweetheart design, with scalloped lace detail on the bodice as well as the hemline and a 70cm train and 4m lace mantilla veil.

Colour of the wedding gown is Soft white / Light ivory and the beautiful selection of freshwater pearl and costume jewellery is hand made by Lindy from Gurlie Purlie.

Make-up and hair by the talented Nafeeshah Kherekar.

The lace detail on the veil compliments the gown, and is always a firm favourite for all photographer's who use it as a prop sometimes, as you can see in the pic below

A lovely morning spent on the shoot and a wonderful collaboration.

Location: Hout Bay, Cape Town
Photographer: Radzphotography_cpt
Make-up and hair: Nafeesahkmua
Jewellery: gurliepurlie
Model: Sasha Bastick - Pulse Models
Wedding gown and veil: Mcouture

Lots of love
Karen

Choosing a hair bridal look that will complement her wedding gown is a must for every bride on her special day. You can find much inspiration on Instagram when it comes to choosing hairstyles that are not only trendy, but also completely flattering. I have chosen the following looks that many brides can draw inspiration from.

THE UPSTYLE

Here a front parting swept to the sides and gathered from the centre of the back towards the nape of the neck gives it a sophisticated look. Another option would be to pair it with a tiara.

A romantic version of the messy bun

THE BUN
Still a traditional look for many brides,yet simple, elegant and chic.

THE LONG HAIR LOOK

If you have long hair why not show it off in its full glory. The following styles do just that.

All of the above styles are from the following sites:
Elstile.ru/Instagram
Bridebook.co.uk / Instagram

I do hope that you find inspiration from these ideas, but I would also love to hear from you as to what inspires you when looking for your ideal hair style for your special day.

Lots of love
Karen

I thought it fitting to start my brand new blog post with pics from our very first bridal photo shoot going back to September of 2013.

Earlier that month I received an email from Debbie Lourens, one of Cape Town's most talented wedding photographers, asking if I would like to do a collaboration where we could do a feature on full figure brides for her blog post. And yes, of course I was interested. 
I had to arrange the wedding dress and Debbie would organize the rest, and what a brilliant photo shoot it turned out to be. 

What a beautiful couple Carmen and Karlu proved to be.......already married for 2 years at the time of the shoot . Just the perfect couple to model for the shoot -  clearly so in love.

That Saturday morning started out as one would expect for a typical spring morning in Cape Town.....showers of blessings. Unperturbed we pushed on and headed off to the Magic Forest in Durbanville, hoping that the rain would stop. And right enough, it did. The skies cleared but remained slightly overcast, perfect conditions for our photo shoot.

Love....Happiness....and more love....

DRESS DETAIL
Carmen is wearing our Chantilly-lace, A-line wedding gown in the colour soft white. The styling is a sweetheart neckline with scalloped lace detail on the neckline and straps.
The underdress is in satin with a Chantilly lace overlay and hand beaded detail on the bodice.
This gown has no petticoats, making it light and easy to wear - perfect for a spring wedding.

BACK DETAIL:
The low cut back has a lace-up feature. Lace detail is found on the neckline as well as the strap and has a built in bra for added comfort. The gown has a 70 cm train and the hemline has a complete scalloped border.

So we are all ready and set to go and as Murphy's law would have it, the make-up and hair artist is sick that morning. But no worries ... and certainly no panic because Debbie jumps in right there and does her magic with Carmen's hair and make-up. She achieves the overall effect she wants for the shoot which is a casual spring look with a simple hair braid and no veil. A natural day make-up look is achieved.... and yes, you guessed it , the flowers are all thanks to Debbie as well.  

All in all....... a wonderful, fun filled Spring shoot.

CREDITS:
Wedding gown: Mcouture
Photography: Debbie Lourens ( www.debbielourens.com)
Hair and Make-up: Debbie Lourens ( her personal make-up stash)
Flowers: Debbie Lourens (purchased at Woolworths)
Location: Magic Forest Durbanville, Cape Town
Models: Carmen and Karlu (Event planner)www.facebook.com/Strawberry-Lace-

Please feel free to comment on the article, I would love to hear from you.

Lots of love
Karen